Smartphone vs Digital Camera – When Do I need to Buy a Digital Camera?

Posted: August 1, 2013 5:00 AM

With the advent of the smartphone and rampant photo-sharing on social media outlets, combined with the ever-improving quality and capabilities of smartphone cameras, you may believe digital cameras are on the way out. In 2012 digital camera sales were down a whopping 30%.

Indeed, since every smartphone already has a built-in camera that can take pictures and record video, it can feel like it doesn’t really make sense to have a separate digital camera! Smartphone vs Digital Camera is the question at hand.

But hold that thought. Yes, it’s true that smartphone cameras are getting more advanced and are easier to access (since they are contained within your smartphone itself), but are they as good as, or even better than digital cameras?

The answer is: It depends. And it depends largely on:

a) who you are, and

b) what you are taking pictures of/what you need the camera for.

Here are some of the people who should consider supplementing their smartphone cameras with digital cameras and why!

You Talkin’ to Me?

If you are one of the many mainstream users who is thrilled with your smartphone camera, this discussion may not necessarily apply directly to you. However, if you are one of the following, listen up:

Digital SLRs (Single Lens Reflex) with interchangeable lenses – these are the most versatile and advanced cameras available on the consumer market - they are also the largest and the most expensive

Hybrid cameras or ILCs (Interchangeable Lens Camera) that are compact but still have interchangeable lenses – since these types of cameras are “mirrorless” they do not have the large mirrors taking up internal space and are therefore, much smaller than SLRs

Point and Shoot cameras – these Digital Compact Cameras are prized for their small size and ease of use

Super zoom point and shoot cameras (also known as Bridge or Advanced Compact cameras) – some have a zoom lens range as high as thirty times (30x)

High end point and shoot cameras with manual controls and raw mode – these functions allow the photographer to focus in on an exact area in a scene when auto focus is not as precise as you would like.

Bonus Buy!

Why not supplement your savings by buying your digital camera when it is the most discounted? New models are announced in January and September, so the previous year’s cameras start going on sale in February and October; however, the best time to buy them is on a Monday (when manufacturers apply their rebates) in March-April and November-December!